Condenser water cooling device



Jan. 10, 1956 P. w. WYCKOFF ET AL 2,729,5951i CONDENSER WATER COOLING DEVICE Filed Sept. 20, 1952 NV TORS. ye eff. 320%42'14 ray/e7".

Mai/M United States Patent CONDENSER WATER COOLING DEVICE Paul W. Wyckoff, Dayton, and Richard L. Brugler, Trotwood, Ohio, assignors to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, MiclL, a corporation of Delaware Application September 20, 1952, Serial No. 310,606

2 Claims. (Cl. 62--117.8)

This invention relates to an air cooled heat exchanger for cooling the cooling water of a water cooled refrigeration condenser.

Certain types of refrigeration apparatus are provided with a water cooled condenser for the purpose of dissipating heat to a water supply such as an urban water system. Frequently, however, the water cooled condenser presents disadvantages and this is particularly true where there is not an adequate water supply available or in locations in which the mineral deposits in the water are of such type and quantity that their gradual deposit in the condenser causes it to lose its efliciency.

It is an object of this invention to provide a heat exchanger which may be located at a point remote from the refrigeration apparatus and which will serve to cool a supply of condenser water by radiation of heat to the atmosphere. This is advantageous because the same water may be used over and over again thereby minimizing the mineral deposits which are accumulated in the Water cooled condenser and minimizing the consumption of water from the available supply.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a means by which a refrigeration apparatus having a water cooled condenser may be converted so that it will simulate an air cooled type of condenser and to provide a means by which this may be accomplished without breaking into the refrigeration circuit. This is advantageous because it eliminates the possibility of inducing foreign matter in the form of dirt or moisture into the refrigeration circuit and further it minimizes the possibility of inducing refrigerant leaks in the system. In most refrigeration apparatus, such as residential air conditioning equipment, the refrigeration circuit is sealed at the factory by methods that are superior to those available to a field service man.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic showing of the combination of a conventional residential air conditioning packaged unit with an air cooled heat exchanger;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the air cooled heat exchanger; and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal plan view of the air cooled heat exchanger taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

A conventional self contained or packaged air conditioning unit of the type commonly employed in residential air conditioning is illustrated as operatively connected to an air cooled heat exchanger generally designated by the numeral 12. The air conditioning unit 10 includes a casing 14 provided with a compressor 16 and a water cooled condenser 18. The compressor 16 and water cooled condenser 18 are connected in refrigerant flow relationship with an evaporator 20 and a pair of blowers 22 are provided to induce a circulation of air to be cooled over the evaporator coil 20. Prior to the advent of applicants invention it was customary to connect the water cooled condenser 18 with a source of water such as a city Water supply and a continuous supply of water was passed through the condenser to cool it. In Fig. 1, however, the condenser 18 is illustrated as connected to 2,729,951 Patented Jan. 10, 1956 a pair of conduits 24 and 26 which conduct water from the. water cooled condenser 18 to the air cooled heat exchange device 12.

The heat exchange device 12 comprises a casing 28 having bottom, top, front, rear and side walls. The front wall is provided with an opening 30 which serves as an air discharge opening from the casing and the opposite side walls are provided with openings 32 and 34 respectively. Openings 32 and 34 have substantially flat heat exchange devices 36 and 38 mounted adjacent thereto. It is contemplated that ordinary passenger car or truck radiators which are readily available on the market will be used as heat exchange devices 36 and 38. They may be of the cellular, fin and tube, tube and center or any other convenient type of automobile radiator that has an upper tank, a lower tank and intermediate core section. The upper tanks of the radiators 36 and 38 are numbered 40 and 40 respectively while the lower tanks are numbored 42 and 42' respectively and the intermediate core sections are numbered 44 and 44' respectively in the draw ings. The usual radiator caps are illustrated as applied to the radiators 36 and 38 and have been designated by the numerals 46 and 46 respectively for the radiators. it is preferred that a pressure cap of the type illustrated in the Scoville Patent 2,528,791 be used. The radiators 36 and 38 are provided with a plurality of vertically extending water passages and a plurality of horizontally extending air passages therethrough. The radiators 36 and 38 are preferably positioned in parallel relationship to the openings 32 and 34 to accommodate the flow of air into the casing and through their respective air passages. In addition, the radiators 36 and 38 and the associated openings 32 and 34 are preferably aligned transversely of the casing 28 so that the air passages through the radiator 36 are aligned with the air passages in the radiator 38.

A centrifugal type fan 48 is mounted in the casing 28 intermediate the radiators 36 and 38 and arranged with its axis 50 extending in a direction parallel to the air passages in the radiators 36 and 38 so that the pair of axial inlet openings, of which one of the openings 52 in the blower scroll is visible in Fig. l, are aligned with the air passages in the radiators. A discharge opening 54 is provided in the centrifugal fan scroll and this opening is in registry with the opening 38 provided in the casing 28 to accommodate the discharge of air. Means are thus provided for the introduction of air into the openings 32 and 34 for passage through the radiators 36 and 38 and into the centrifugal fan for discharge from the openings 54 and 30. l

The heat exchange device 12 has a water intake manifold 56 which is connected in water flow relationship with the conduit 26 and has opposite ends connected to the upper tanks 48 and 46' of the radiators 36 and 38 respectively. A water outlet manifold 58 is similarly provided and has its opposite ends connected to the lower tanks 42 and 42' respectively of the radiators 36 and 38 and in addition has a branch conduit 6!] which is connected to the manifold 58 and extends to a water pump 62 which in turn is connected to the conduit 24 for the return of cold water to the condenser 18 of the refrigeration unit.

In the preferred construction which is illustrated herein an electric motor 64 is mounted in the casing 28 and is operatively connected to the fan 48 by a belt 66 for driving the fan 48. The water pump 62 is preferably also mounted in driving relationship to the shaft of the motor 64 as illustrated in the drawings.

It will thus be seen that with the device described herein a refrigeration unit having a water cooled condenser may, in effect be converted to a unit having an air cooled condenser without breaking into the refrigerant lines of the refrigeration unit. This may be accomplished by the I addition of the air cooled heat exchange unit 12 for tion or'o'verfl'ow this may be accomplished by removing one or both the radiator caps 46 and 46' and inserting water therein. It is to be understood that chemicals may be added to the water to prevent its freezing during cold Weather operation in the same manner as that in which they are added to motor car radiators. Numerous antifreeze solutions are in common use for this purpose and it should be understood that in the claims the term water is not intended to be limited to pure water or distilled water and that it may be adulterated with such solutions within the meaning of the term employed.

' We claim:

1. A heat exchange device for use with a packaged air conditioning unit having a casing with an evaporator, a compressor and a condenser which is adapted to provide a heat transfer relationship between a refrigerant and a cooling liquid mounted therein; said heat exchange device comprising a self-contained unitary assembly including a casing having first and second air handling openings, a substantially flat radiator mounted in said casing in registry with one of said openings, a motor driven blower mounted in said casing and adapted to induce a circulation of air in said first opening, over said radiator and out said second opening and pump means mounted in said'casing and operable to induce a circulation of cooling liquid from the condenser through said radiator.

2. A heat exchange device for use with a packaged air conditioning unit having a casing with an evaporator, a compressor and a condensenwhich is adapted to provide a heat transfer relationship between a refrigerant and a cooling liquid mounted therein; said heat exchange device comprising a self-contained unitary assembly including a casing having first and second air inlet openings provided in opposite sides thereof and an air discharge opening, first and second substantially flat radiators respectively mounted in said casingin registry with one of said air inlet openings, a centrifugal type fan mounted in said casing between said radiators and having oppositely disposed axial air inlets aligned with said air inlet passages and a discharge opening arranged in air flow relationship with the air discharge opening in said casing, and pump and conduit means connected in fluid flow relationship with said radiators and operable to induce a circulation of cooling liquid from the condenser through said radiators.

7 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,869,534 Young Aug. 2, 1932 1,872,785 Modine Aug. 23, 1932 1,884,095 Modine Oct. 25, 1932 1,885,371 Modine Nov. 1, 1932 1,913,742 Bates June 13, 1933 2,166,635 Locke July 18, 1939 2,184,837 Hemming Dec. 26, 1939 2.292,335 Durbin Aug, 4, 1942 

